For my Friends I give my heart
by Solaris Moon
Summary: It's the end of the school year and on the night before final exams, Solaris has a nightmarish premonition. When she and Kurama find their friends stolen away, what are they to do? And who is the shadowy stranger? T just in case
1. Chapter 1

For my friends I give my heart… 

Solaris: This is the fic after Akachan and before Road Trip. I know, they're a little out of order, but I swear as soon as I finish Road Trip and this fic, I may take a two or three day vacation and then I focus exclusively on the stories in order. Sorry it's so confusing. Oh, standard disclaimers apply. I don't feel like making up a poem or anything today.

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Chapter one: The dream

* * *

"Kurama… KURAMA!" Solaris sobbed/yelled. Kurama ran to her room to find her still asleep, and crying like a child, her ears flat on her head. Hiei and Foxglove ran in, half-asleep. "Kurama, don't go…" she whimpered. He sat beside her, pulled her into a sitting position, and held her close.

"What's the matter?" Hiei and Foxglove intoned sleepily. Solaris woke up to see white. She looked up into Kurama's face, then buried her face into his pajama shirt again.

"I had a nightmare. Joshi came to take you and Foxglove and Hiei away forever! Then he came back and tried to… tried to…" was all Solaris could say before she fell back to sobbing. Kurama and the others mentally filled in the blanks with one of the few things that Solaris truly feared Joshi would do if he ever got out and found her. And it wasn't that he'd kill her.

"Solaris, I'll sleep in here if it'll make you feel better." Foxglove offered. Solaris nodded, and stopped crying. The two foxgirls laid down and fell asleep instantly.

"Kurama, why don't you tell her you like her?" Hiei asked as they left.

"Remember Rose? I had a crush on her for a while until rumors began that we were dating. I looked at it from an objective viewpoint, and she wasn't really my type. I'm afraid the same will happen with Solaris. She's too… sweet to hurt." Kurama sighed. (A/N: I know, he seems ooc. No like, too bad.)

"I suppose. Night." Hiei said as they parted company.

--

Meanwhile, the Reikai was in an uproar. A criminal had escaped prison and vowed to wed the girl he loved and bring her back to crime. Who was the escaped criminal? Joshi of course! And somehow he had found Solaris's address. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan all stood in Koenma's office, yawning. "It is imperative…" Koenma began.

"Yeah, yeah, we heard a thousand times. Solaris can't find out, she'd go bananas." Yusuke said, then headed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Koenma asked.

"Home to sleep." Yusuke yawned and left.

--

Later that night, Kurama dreamed. He was at a park with Solaris, watching her climb a sakura tree to get some of the blooms. As soon as she came back down she offered some of the flowers to him. He took one and went to hug her (who could help it? She was a sweet little thing, even after all that she'd gone through!) when Joshi snatched her away. Kurama looked down to see a vat of boiling oil and Solaris weeping as she came into a dungeon in a wedding dress. Joshi came to pull her away again. _Kurama!_ she wept.

"SOLARIS!" he shouted in the dream, and this shout woke him. He sat up, awake and still feeling uneasy. He felt like he had just sweated off a fever. The sun was shining and he leaned his head in his hands. _-It felt so real… a premonition? Or just a nightmare?- _he questioned himself, then got out of bed. _–Well, nightmare, premonition or otherwise, I have school to get ready for.-_ he mused as he exited the room, uniform in hand. Soon the tow had left the house, Solaris's red uniform and cheery disposition brightening his day.

"Last day before vacation starts. Are you ready for the last exams?" Kurama asked.

"I'll be happier when scores are posted. I think nerves caused my dream last night." She sighed, then fished around in her school bag for a something, pulling out a bright yellow folder clip. (A/N: You know those things that keep reports and crap in those clear plastic folders? I hope that clears it up.) "And now, my rendition of 'Freckles'!" she smiled before she put the thing to her lips and hummed 'Freckles' as loudly as possible. Kurama couldn't help it- he laughed. It was hard to be unhappy when Solaris had a yen to make you laugh and a folder clip around. (A/N: I've done that before, it sounds like a kazoo. I swear it!) Even she found it hard to keep playing until he was laughing so hard he was crying; she wanted to laugh so badly.

"See? I knew I could!" she giggled as the bus stopped and she finished. As the two teens boarded the bus to school, a mysterious figure watched from a bush. Suddenly, it smiled. All that was left now was to take on a human disguise and capture her friends, and she'd be all his all over again.

* * *

Solaris: And that ends chapter one! I'll try to keep the authoress notes to a minimum. Review please! After all, it only takes two or three minutes of your time… 


	2. The Capture

For my friends I give my heart… 

Solaris: I wonder if you figured out who the shadowy figure was… Well, I'm not telling! Here's chapter two! I don't own YYH, or anything famous mentioned in this story.

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Chapter 2: The capture

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"I hope I did okay on that algebra exam. I can never remember if x equals y or vice versa, and when I try I get a headache." Solaris whimpered that day at lunch.

"There, there… Shuiichi did fine, I'm sure…" Mitsuo tried to comfort. Kurama ignored him and kept reading.

"Yeah, but one thing, Mitsuo-Kun: Shuiichi is practically a genius. I, on the other hand, do good just to comprehend what I'm learning." Solaris sighed, then took a bite from her sandwich. Kurama didn't ignore that; he looked up from his book to speak to her.

"Solaris, I've looked over some of your homework during the time you've been here, and you not only comprehend, you remember. I think it's exam nerves," he told her, then drew back a little as she put one hand over the top of the book, showcasing pale pink fingernails and almost-black eyes.

"Whatever you're taking, I'd like some. No one can be that calm on exam day. I'm liable to murder someone if they cross me, I'm that nervous." She was completely serious. Just then, a fan girl came over to sit by Shuiichi.

"Hey, Shuiichi. I'm having a party to celebrate the end of the year. Wanna come?" she asked sweetly. Solaris took her hand off the book, clenched it into a fist, and scowled.

"I can't. I promised Solaris I'd take her to the Ginza after we got our exam scores." Kurama said. It wasn't entirely a lie; he hadn't said anything about the Ginza, but he had promised they'd get their scores together.

"Oh, come on. Ditch the homely little brat and party with me instead." The girl was trying to be charming, and all she was doing was ticking several people off. Solaris jumped up angrily.

"That's it! I may not be the cutest thing on earth, but I am not 'homely'! I'd call you a bitch, but that's an insult to dogs." Solaris said darkly, then popped her knuckles. The girl's eyes widened in fear; she had seen Solaris lift other girls out of her way before, and some of them were twice her size. For a short skinny girl she was strong! "Now you picked a really bad day to piss me off…" Solaris continued. The girl ran away in fear.

"Whoa, Solaris, you really scared her!" Mitsuo said in shock.

"Yes, you're like a female Yusuke." Kurama laughed so quietly only she could hear. She smiled just as the bell rang.

"Oh, class. See ya, Mitsuo!" she said as she ran off.

"Yeah, ja ne!" Kurama said as he took off after her. Mitsuo looked at the clock, then jumped; his class was all the way on the other side of the campus! He'd really have to hurry.

--

The final bell rang and half the class (including Solaris) jumped up from their seats cheering. "Exam scores will be posted within the week. Entry exams are in two months. Have a nice summer!" the teacher smiled. Solaris grabbed her school bag and rushed out the door; half the class had been moved to a different room, and Kurama had been one of the ones moved. She was supposed to meet him by the gate.

"So, do you think you did well?" Kurama asked as she ran up. She nodded and smiled.

"Can we walk home? I really don't want to take the bus." she said. Kurama nodded. As they walked, she looked behind her shoulder often. "Sorry, I just… I think that blonde boy is following us." Solaris explained.

"One way to be sure. Come on." Kurama said, grabbing her hand and pulling her down a small street. "Back way to my house. We can have dinner there tonight." he said. 'Blonde boy' followed, but went past the house when they reached it. "'Kassan! I'm home and I brought company!" Kurama called.

"Oh, Shuiichi, welcome home. And you brought a friend?" Shiori smiled when she saw them.

"Yes, you remember Solaris?" he asked.

"Of course. Come on, dinner's ready." She grinned.

--

Dinner was pleasant, and Solaris's fear of the stalker vanished. Soon it was getting dark, and Solaris had to leave.

"Mom, I'm going to stay with Solaris for a little while, okay? She's been seeing this guy following her, and I saw him on the way here. Definitely a stalker," he whispered to his mom conspiratorially, while Solaris helped clean up. Shiori nodded her approval.

"Call the police if it gets too serious," she said. After they left, the two caught a bus to Sanctuary. As soon as they got in, the phone rang. It was Shizuru.

-_"Hey, Solaris, have you seen Yusuke and Kazuma?"- _Shizuru asked.

"Kazuma? Oh, Kuwabara. No, haven't seen either of them since last week's dinner. Have they gone missing?" Solaris asked.

_-"Yeah. We thought they might have gone to your house. Oh, Keiko says if you see them, slap them for her. Bye."-_

"Can do. Bye." Solaris replied before hanging up the phone. "Hey, where's psycho one and psycho two?" Solaris asked.

"Hiei and Foxglove? I don't know. Huh?" Kurama asked as he picked up a piece of paper.

_Dear Solaris,_

_I have taken your muse and three members of the Reikai Tantei hostage. If you want to see them alive again, come to the Makai immediately and bring Kurama. _

_Much love, _

_Joshi._

"Joshi? But he's in prison! Unless…" she began, then crumpled the note. "KOENMA, YOU FINK!"

"Solaris, come on. We'll rescue them, no sweat." Kurama said, holding her by the shoulders. She nodded, then ran upstairs to change into a short sleeved black leotard under a denim skirt.

"Better than wearing that damn sailor fuku on a rescue mission to the Makai." Solaris shrugged.

--

Soon they were in the Makai only to be assaulted by E-class spider demons. Solaris had ranked herself at D-class, mid-C-class at the most, so a handful of E-classes should have been a breeze, except for one thing: Solaris had severe arachnophobia. Kurama killed off those demons, but was stopped when a B-Class hit Solaris in the head, knocking her out. "Solaris!" he cried out before the demon came for him.

--

"Ugh…" Solaris whimpered as she came to. She barely comprehended that she was chained to the wall by her wrists. She looked around to see Yusuke and Kuwabara in stocks, Foxglove on a rack, and Hiei on one of those spinny wheelie things, which was still at the moment.

"Of all the humiliations…" he growled, trying to free himself.

"Hiei! What happened? Who did this? Where's Kurama?" Solaris cried out, becoming increasingly frantic with each question.

"Yeah, nice to see you too. Some blonde guy came up and rang the doorbell. Foxglove answered and got knocked out. I demanded to know how he got past the gate and he knocked me out too. I really hate the element of surprise… and I still don't know who it was." Hiei said.

"Some guy broke into our fight after school. Imagine, me getting kidnapped…" Yusuke griped.

"I can!" Kuwabara laughed. Yusuke hit him with the side of his head. "OW! Urameshi, whaddya do, super glue your hair in place?"

"Pipe down, children. Sorry, Yusuke, but I can just faintly see it. And you, Kuwabara, I can really see! So keep your mouth shut!" Foxglove said.

"No one answered my last question! Where Is Kurama!" Solaris asked angrily.

"Settle down, love. Soon we'll be outlaws and married, as I'm sure you wanted…" a blonde figure said from the door.

"Who the hell are you!" Solaris asked angrily.

"Joshi! Drop the damn disguise, it's as ugly as your demon form!" Yusuke yelled. Solaris blinked in shock; that was Joshi!

"Silence! Solaris, my love…" he said as he ran a finger down her jaw. She spit at him, hitting his face. "Grr… You need to learn your place. But we'll settle that after our marriage."

"LIKE HELL I'D MARRY YOU! I'd go drown myself before I'd do that!" she shouted.

"Oh, I think you'll change your mind after you see your precious Kurama." Joshi laughed, and pointed. Kurama was suspended above a vat of boiling oil. Solaris gasped.

"Kurama… JOSHI! If you hurt him in any way I swear I will kill you myself! And don't think I won't!" Solaris shouted, trying to break the chains and strangle the laughing demon.

"Oh, you won't. You can't stand the sight of blood as I recall. Now, unless you want your lover deep fried, I suggest you give in to my terms."

"My lover? Okay first, he's not my lover, we're just schoolmates and very good friends. Second, I've gotten more tolerant to blood. Third…" she scowled, but an almost evil smile lit her face. "Go to hell." Joshi laughed at this.

"My dear Solaris, unless you want your friends to starve or die torturously painful deaths, you'll marry me. Or you'll starve too. It matters not." He smiled. Solaris glared at him for a moment, then her head dropped.

"I can't let my friends be harmed. All right. You win…" she said, choking back sobs. He unlocked her wrists, and led her out of the room, laughing evilly.

"You must get ready now…"

* * *

Solaris: Yeah, it was Joshi. Oh, a couple of things! One, Solaris is not a D-class. She under-ranked herself by about 2 classes. And I will try to draw Joshi, both forms, as soon as possible. My current project is a storyboard type thing for the opening of Road Trip. Summer boredom does a lot.Well, next time in 'For my Friends…'

Narrator dude: Kurama wakes! And do the Tantei and the muse escape! Read chapter 3 and find out!

Solaris: Gyahhhh! I thought I killed you! –Pulls out a bazooka- DIE!


	3. Kurama wakes up and other stuff happens

For my friends I give my heart… 

Solaris: -trying to get dirt, paint, andgunpowder out from under her fingernails- Well, unless the narrator dude is one of the undead, he's in the ground to stay this time. Here's chapter 3, hope you like it! Standard disclaimers apply. I don't feel witty today.

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Chapter 3: Kurama Wakes and Other Stuff Happens

* * *

"Whoa… equilibrium…" Kurama said quietly as he woke up.

"Kurama, I wouldn't look down if I were you!" Foxglove warned. Kurama ignored her, and looked to see a vat of boiling oil.

"No wonder I felt so light-headed. Where's Solaris? Who did this?" he asked.

"No wonder Joshi thought you two were lovers. She asked about you first thing too." Hiei sighed.

"She was taken away for a wedding." Kuwabara said, being useful (for a change!) (A/N: I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Sorry for my bashing. He's got honor and principles and I think that's cool, but he's an idiot.)

"He threatened her. I think she was crying as she left." Yusuke sounded contemplative, almost unsure, but he cleared up the matter.

"He'd have to have. As I recall, she hated him with every bit of her soul." Kurama nodded, surprisingly calm for being suspended over the Makai version of a deep fat fryer.

"She does. She spit at him and told him to go to hell." Foxglove said. Just then, the door burst open. Solaris walked in, a bridal kimono on her lithe frame.

"Guys, I have the keys, and I swiped a knife from the kitchen. I'll have you free in a few seconds!" she said, unlocking the chains on Hiei's wrists and ankles first and then cutting the ropes the held Foxglove. As soon as she had finished unlocking the stocks, she issued a warning: "Joshi's bound to look for me soon. So if he comes in here, act like you're still imprisoned. Sorry I couldn't slice the ropes all the way, Foxglove. And the slightest tug will free you, Hiei. Guys, the lock only looks latched, it's really open. Get free as soon as possible, I leave Joshi's fate up to you."

"Probably not the time to say this, but you look good, Solaris." Kurama said, then apologized. "Sorry, that was Youko. But I must agree."

"Kurama! I can turn down the heat on this junk and free you easily! I just can't hide it…" she said, quickly piling ashes on top of the flames.

"You'll get your kimono dirty that way. Naughty little fox." Joshi said from the doorway. Solaris turned in shock, then flung ashes at his face.

"Eat this and go to hell!" she shouted. While Joshi was blinded, she handed Yusuke the keys and pulled a piece of chewing gum out of her small purse, replacing it with more ashes. She put the gum in her mouth and chewed rapidly.

"You bitch! Haven't you learned your place yet!" he shouted, then pulled her away by a wrist.

"OW! That hurts, you son of a… KURAMA!" she cried as she reached out a hand.

"SOLARIS!" he yelled just as the door shut and locked with a gooey sound. Foxglove tugged at her ropes, Hiei pulled free and cut the ropes the rest of the way through. Yusuke and Kuwabara broke out of the stocks.

"If you want your shoes to stay clean, I advise you to keep your feet off the floor." Hiei said. Everyone but Hiei and Kurama (who was still suspended above the oil) jumped on to the rack. Even though the vat was made of stone, Hiei demolished it easily with a swipe of his katana, then jumped on the stocks before the oil poured out. Yusuke handed him the keys and Hiei lowered the redhead to safety and unlocked the chain. Kurama looked at the oil slick, then spoke up.

"Everyone, just walk until we reach the door. No bolting, just walk." He said. They didn't question him, the oil was slippery. The door opened easily, and Hiei looked in the lock.

"So that was the purpose of the chewing gum. She gummed up the lock," he nodded; she was thinking on her feet, not blindly following impulses like she was liable to do. The hall outside was carpeted, and they ran until they reached a fork in the hall.

"Where do we go? Darn it, we need Youko!" Foxglove said.

_-You and Solaris, sitting in a tree…-_ Youko chanted in Kurama's mind.

"My god! Poor Solaris!" Foxglove wept.

_-K-I-S-S-I-N-G…-_ he chimed.

"She's too young to marry!" she cried.

_-First comes love, second comes marriage…-_ he laughed. Kurama lost his temper, just enough for Youko to take hold. "Yes! Free!" he said, then his ears twitched. "I believe we have a wedding to stop… in this direction." Youko ran off, and the others followed.

--

"If anyone has any objections…" the priest intoned. Solaris began to worry.

_-Maybe I should break out my mini mace…-_ she thought. Just then the doors burst open, and a familiar silver-eared fox broke in.

"I object!" he said, then swooped the foxgirl into his arms. "She's mine! All mine!"

"Youko, remind me to talk to you about that when I'm safe." Solaris said.

"What, no thank you kiss?" he pouted. Solaris pointed to the priest. "Oh. Right."

"How dare you!" Joshi shouted. Solaris broke free, pulling her purse from a sleeve of the kimono.

"Joshi, I hate your guts, I'd never marry you even if you were the last man in any of the three worlds, and finally, GO TO HELL!" she yelled as she threw a dash of the gray powder at him. It hi right in the eyes. Youko gave her just enough time to close the purse and put it away, then pulled her out of the room.

"What was that stuff?" he asked as they ran.

"A mixture of ashes, powder, and loads of salt from the kitchen. A little baking soda for good measure, and voila, mini mace! I _so_ ought to market the stuff..." she smiled.

"This is too slow. Hold on!" he said as he picked her up and ran.

"Turn down this hallway!" she said. As soon as they had gone a little way, she told him to stop. "Wait here, I gotta change, I'll be faster then." She explained. He waited for about three minutes, then heard a struggle. Youko burst in to see Solaris struggling against Joshi, or more accurately, his youki, which he was using to pin her against the bed. His eyes were red as blood.

"Hurts, huh? Getting harder to breathe? Deal, 'Ame'!" he smiled evilly, using the only stage name he knew she had. "Once a thief, always a thief…"

"Not necessarily." Youko said as he knocked Joshi out. Solaris was released, and she lay there, gasping for breath as Youko helped her sit up. Soon she had her second wind and was ready to leave. First, however, she took the purse and two bottles of perfume. One she used to scent the mini mace, the other she handed Youko to put in a pocket. "Huh?" he asked.

"The perfume will irritate his eyes more, and the other I liked. Just a minute." She said, then lifted each eyelid and dropped a pinch of mini mace in each eye. "It'll hurt worse when he opens his eyes. I'll just be a second more." She said, then added more ashes from an incense burner and some powder, then shook it.

"Why do you women take so long to get ready to go anywhere?" Youko sighed.

"The wait makes it worth it. Now let's rejoin the group." Solaris grinned.

"Not so fast…" Joshi said menacingly, rising from the floor.

* * *

Solaris: A cliffie! The next chapter is the last. Please review! 'Til next time! –looks as the door breaks open and the narrator dude enters the room-

Narrator dude: Must… preview… next…

Solaris: STAY DEAD, DAMMIT! –throws a hand grenade… or 200.-


	4. The Escape

For my friends I give my heart… 

Solaris: And here is the last chapter. I think that this is the longest chapter so far; at least it is on paper.

Foxglove: -Strolls in, looking at Solaris- Solaris, what'd you do? Your legs are soaked. And you smell like pond water!

Solaris: Uh… I fell. Okay, I actually made sure the stupid narrator dude was gone for good. Even Houdini couldn't escape those constraints! Well, read on and review please! Here's the conclusion!

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Chapter 4: The Escape

* * *

"Not so fast…" Joshi said evilly. "You don't think you can escape so easily, do you?" he asked, then opened his eyes. "AHHHH! IT BURNS!" He held his hands over them. Solaris picked up another bottle of perfume and splashed it into his eyes. His shrieks, if possible, worsened.

"There! More pain for you!" she gloated. Youko picked her up and took off and she made sure to hold the purse tightly.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were enjoying that in the most sadistic way possible!" he said, almost shocked.

"I was," Solaris replied lightly. "Goons dead ahead." She threw mini mace at them as they approached, stopping them, and repeated it with every goon they met.

--

Meanwhile, Yusuke's group had gotten a bit lost. Foxglove was sure they had passed the same painting of a dolphin several times. When they passed it again, she stole a stub of pencil from Kuwabara and graffittied the corner of the picture. Sure enough, they had passed the same picture, so they tried a different direction.

"I hear footsteps." Hiei said quietly. They all got ready for a fight. The footsteps ceased right around the corner, and everyone jumped out. Yusuke's fist was inches from Youko's stomach before he realized who it was. Solaris was poised to grind the mini mace into Kuwabara's eyes.

"Oh, it's you two. Thank god we found you!" Foxglove sighed. Solaris put the powder back into the purse and hugged her muse.

"You don't know how glad I am to see you guys! Listen, Joshi is temporarily blind, I added perfume to this mix and hit him in the eyes with a whole bottle of perfume, but if he finds running water, we're done for!" she explained frantically. Suddenly, evil laughter exploded into the corridor.

"Oh, yes, you are. To think I loved you for your spunk. The lesson in life today for you, Solaris love, is that the rebellious ones perish! If you had just gone along with my plan, you and your friends would have lived. Oh, well. Can't be helped." Joshi laughed.

"Ew, what caused your eyes to get all red like that? YUCK!" Foxglove said in disgust.

"My mini mace. I'll give you the recipe when we get home." Solaris said, then hurled a handful at his eyes. He blocked it quickly. "My mix!" she wept. Youko stepped in front of her to shield her from any attack. Hiei did the same for Foxglove. Suddenly, Solaris stepped from behind Youko, a handful of powder in her hand, and she ran up to Joshi, grinding the mixture into his eyes while he was in shock. "GO TO HELL!" she screamed. He laughed and grabbed her wrist, laughing maniacally.

"You walked into that! I may be blind, but I have you! And I can kill you!" he laughed. Solaris took a deep breath, then began to sing loudly.

"_itsuka umareru mae kara kitto _

_kawaranai MONO sagashi tsudzukete ha _

_mitsukete ushinatte toki ni _

_hito o KIZU tsuketa yoru mo atta…"_ she sang, in a loud lovely soprano voice. Joshi released her wrists and covered his ears. Solaris kept singing, and Foxglove chimed in, the two sopranos chiming and ringing in the hall.

" _moshimotatta hitotsu dake negai ga kanau nara _

_moshimotatta hitotsu dake negai ga kanau nara _

_kimi ha nani o inoru _

_kono sora ni kimi ha nani o inoru_ …" they sang. Youko recognized the song as something by Ayumi Hamasaki, and pitched in.

"_tsuyoku hoshigaru kimochi no soba de _

_doko ka akirame oboe hajimete ha _

_mitsukete tebana shite toki ni _

_jibun o KIZU tsuketa yoru mo atta…" _he sang. Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara looked at him oddly. Hiei got it first.

"The noise is too much for him! His ears are hypersensitive. It's not that Youko thinks that way, it's the song! Follow their lead!" he said, then started singing too.

"_moshimo kimi ni sashi daseru MONO ga aru to sureba _

_moshimo kimi ni sashi daseru MONO ga aru to sureba _

_kawaranu tashikana omoi…" _everyone sang. Solaris knew they'd eventually demolish Joshi ; he'd always worn earplugs during performances, and had learned to read lips in case of ad-libbing. Her throat was getting tired, Youko could tell. He came up behind her and pulled her into a hug from behind. This reassured her, and she kept singing.

"_hon no sukoshi demo waratte kureru nara _

_mada KOKO ni ikiru imi mo aru yo ne _

_hon no sukoshi demo motomete kureru nara _

_mada KOKO ni ikiru koto yurusareru kana…" _rang in the corridor, six voices melding into one harmony. Blood began to seep through Joshi's hands; his ears were bleeding, and he was on his knees in pain. Solaris, never once stopping her loud song, picked up a heavy glass bowl and used it to hit him over the head, shattering it into a million pieces. He fell over into unconsciousness. Solaris stopped singing, a few seconds after everyone else. She wasn't used to singing so loudly and for so long, and she was tired. As she began to fall, Youko caught her and picked her up.

"Yusuke, call Koenma. Kuwabara, watch that idiot. Youko, mix something to keep him out. Solaris, shut up. Foxglove, find some water." Hiei rasped. Everyone rushed off to their job. Pretty soon the mass case of throat rasp was gone and they were making a report to Koenma.

"You don't mean to tell me…" Koenma began.

"Yes, we all just sang and he was in pain. His hearing is hyper sensitive." Solaris nodded.

"Well, that accounts for the bleeding of the ears. But what about the lump on the back of his head?" Koenma asked.

"I sorta shattered a glass bowl over his head. To knock him out." Solaris smiled uneasily.

"Hey, this guy didn't have red eyes when he escaped," an ogre said.

"Solaris's mini mace. She ought to market that." Foxglove said as she helped pick up fragments of glass.

"What's it made of anyway? Sure, it isn't home, but I wanna know!" Kuwabara asked.

"Well… technically, I am sorta home, so… the ingredients are ash, the warmer at the time you get it, the better, Uhm… face powder, like the uber-white kind I'd be wearing if I were still in bridal arraignment…" Solaris paused for a moment, thinking. "Hm… table salt and if you really want a sting, perfume it. But not too much, or it won't work!" Jorge the ogre wrote that down at Koenma's nod.

"From the looks of it, you really attacked his eyes." Yusuke said, sounding confused. "Why was that?"

"You fight, you should know that the eyes are the weakest point of someone's face. A little dirt can give a person someone the time to escape. Come on, Solaris, let's go." Youko said, grabbing Solaris's wrist, and the two took off running. As soon as they had gotten away from the group, he slowed to a stop and turned to the smaller fox demon. "Okay, couple of questions. First, why couldn't you give me a thank you kiss? I saw the priest, but I'm still not sure I get it." Youko asked.

"That was supposed to be the guy to marry me and Joshi. If I had kissed you then, he might have thought I was marrying you. And that would be a problem. Recall, our human forms are 16, and you can't really marry at 16. Also, you can't hold that form forever; I'm amazed you've held it this long." Solaris answered. "And I'm sorry, but I have no desire to marry anyone at this point in life. I still have several good years of life before I wanna settle down!"

"Okay, thanks for crushing my hopes and dreams there." Youko sighed. "Next, will you _ever _thank me for pulling your fluffy little tail out of that?" Solaris smiled at Youko's question.

"Arigatou!" she grinned, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. (A/N: She'd have to, considering that she's shorter than he is by a good foot and nine inches.) "Happy now?" Youko replied by pulling her into an embrace.

"I'm about to have to give control back to Shuiichi, and I'm sure this is going to have exhausted him. Just help him back to… Sanctuary, right?" Youko asked, whispering into her ear.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Okay, help him back to Sanctuary, and make him get some rest. Don't let him do anything. Just be your normal sweet self, and everything will be all right. See you next time I get control." He said, leaning over to kiss her. As soon as he had given her a parting kiss (and made a mental note to add a notch to the pencil later, he went back to his human form.

"Whew… and I thought I was dizzy before…" he said as he leaned on Solaris.

"I'll get the portal open." Solaris smiled. She didn't think he could walk all the way back to the group, he had just exhausted his spirit energy, and she was about to exhaust hers. In no time the two were back at Sanctuary and on the second floor. "Just lie down, I'll open a window. Lord knows my room is the only one that gets any fresh air…"

"Solaris? Before you go, a bit of advice: hide that mace stuff. Koenma would take it out of 'dangerous hands', AKA yours." Kurama said.

"Tch. Like it wouldn't get stolen from him in less than a week." Solaris scoffed. "His security for stuff like that sucks."

"True. And I almost forgot." He said as he handed her a little glass bottle. "The perfume you took. And apparently…" he began as he held out stings of rubies, diamonds, pearls, and amethyst, "Youko stole a little bit more than that perfume for you. She smiled and took them.

"Thanks. Now you get some sleep. I'm gonna take my own advice." Solaris yawned. As soon as she left the room, Kurama fell asleep.

--

Later, Kurama woke up to see the early evening glow. He contemplated going home, but decided to make sure Solaris would be all right. Besides, his mother expected him to be gone for a while; Solaris had a 'stalker', right? Quietly, he slipped down the hall to Solaris's sign-laden door. Ignoring her 'keep out' and 'trespassers butchered' signs, he silently opened the door to see her sleeping peacefully, the sheer black curtains waving in the breeze from the balcony and the sunset glow creating a sort of halo. It was easy to see why Joshi thought she was pretty; for a demon, she looked like a sleeping angel. Suddenly, she woke, sat up, and blinked toward the window.

"Oh! I thought I'd wake up earlier than this! I have to make dinner!" she cried as she jumped up from her bed. Not being fully awake or watching where she was going, she accidentally ran smack into Kurama. "Oh! Sorry." She apologized. He smiled a little, and pushed at one of her shoulders gently.

"You rest, I'll get dinner. Traumatic experiences call for rest." He said. She planted her heels firmly in the lilac carpet.

"I'm used to Joshi's stunts. The idiot tried to give me a micromini skirt for my 148th birthday. I used it for fuel for that night's fire. You, on the other hand, haven't dealt with him as much. You need the rest, not me." She declared.

"No, you."

"No, _you._"

"Since we can't decide who needs to rest more, let's just sit and talk or something. They can call for take out, they know how to use the phone." Kurama smiled as he sat down.

"How do you know they aren't?" Solaris asked as she followed suit.

"Trust me, they'd have barged up here by now yelling for dinner if they were." So the two sat and talked about random things for about an hour or so, until the sun fully set. They finally ventured downstairs to find the two other occupants of the house asleep, Hiei on the couch and Foxglove in the basket chair that Solaris had claimed as hers. The pair smiled and went to the kitchen to call for takeout.

--

In Reikai, Joshi was sitting quietly in his cell, fuming. Solaris's 'mini mace' had hurt his eyes worse than he had thought it would. Hours after she had ground the last bit into them, they were still red. His hearing had been damaged too, but whether it was temporary it was short-term or permanent remained to be seen. He had heard the main Spirit Detective's reasons for her attack on his eyes.

"Youko said it was the weakest point, but I think she had a point to prove… that she's dangerous." That urchin of a muse had nodded at that.

"_He used to call her his 'pretty little rose'. She's proving that she has some serious thorns."_

"As for the ears, he's been a real nuisance. Mainly because his hearing was so good." Yusuke had explained.

Joshi growled quietly, furiously, struggling against a straightjacket. He wasn't insane! That bitch had to go! She was supposed to love him for saving her from the streets, not Kurama for taking her away! He promised to someday escape again, and the next time, he wouldn't be so careless as to kidnap her friends…

* * *

Solaris: By the way, the song is "Never Ever", and it's sung by Ayumi Hamasaki. Translation of the lyrics is on animelyrics-dot-com. And that ends another fic. Now, in my next fic…"Return of Rose" summary 

After the road trip… an old flame from Kurama's past returns, and a rivalry begins. Will this end well for Solaris, or will the fox demon lose this fight?


End file.
